


Don’t Let Me Go

by Ace_of_hearts301



Series: Aftermath [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Boys In Love, Fluff angst, How Do I Tag, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, OOC, Out of Character, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, and fluff, hospitals are fun right, mentions of self harm, you know what we need some good old fashioned therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:42:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24020767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_of_hearts301/pseuds/Ace_of_hearts301
Summary: Waking up in a hospital was not the way that Shuichi Saihara expected his life in the killing game simulation to end, but what happens when he wakes up seeing someone he never thought he would ever be able to see ever again. He just wants to try and rekindle what happened in the confines of the game.Kokichi Ouma was not expecting Shuichi to still like him after all he had done to the other boy. He tries his hardest to make Shuichi hate him so he would feel better about it. But that only makes him yearn for Shuichi more.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Series: Aftermath [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732666
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	Don’t Let Me Go

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever time posting a fanfic here so I hope y'all enjoy. :)  
> Also any constructive criticism is welcome

The first thing Shuichi could see when he first woke up was the bright fluorescent lights of a hospital, the smell followed soon after. The last thing he could remember was walking out of the simulation Team Danganronpa had put him in. 

When did he get to a hospital?

Looking to his left he saw a window letting in the bright sunlight of dawn as the sun began to rise. He had bandages on his arms, wrapped tight and almost made him ignore the IV in his hand. Nothing hurt, yet at the same time everything did. He began to think.

What the hell happened to me?

Not dwelling much on this question he nearly shot straight up when he thought of the other two survivors, Maki and Himiko. Where were they? Where was he? Why did this not make any sense?

He began to lose track of his breathing as his thoughts clouded his mind and ability to think properly. Are they dead, if so why him. Why was he still alive? Tears began to form in his eyes but before he could wipe them away the door to his room slid open.

The figure at the doorway was small, thin and covered in bandages. The hospital gown they wore slipped around their shoulders a bit showing off the bandages wrapped around their chest. Messy dark hair they never brushed even when in the simulation was still the same. They looked even more frail in real life, being wrapped in bandages from head toe did not help their case. The eyes he had once fallen for were now a shade darker and seemed more dull and lifeless. 

All of these facts did not change the figures' identity though, as it was still the same liar that helped save them. The boy that died a horrific death at the hands of a hydraulic press. The Ultimate Supreme Leader stood before Shuichi. Kokichi Ouma.

His heart sank.

"O-oh, hey S-Saihara. Been a long time huh."

He was stunned.

"K-Kokichi?" Shuichi asked, as his chest seemed to empty at the sight of the boy he had lost. Tears burned at his eyes once again. Here he was, standing only a few feet away. If Shuichi could find his strength he would have bolted up to pull the liar into a hug.

However, Shuichi knew that could never happen. Kokichi was dead. He was crushed to death, Shuichi had seen it with his own two eyes. Shown multiple times by a video recording, that same night he had barely slept. Plagued by nightmares.

Yet here he was, walking to Shuichi’s bedside, carrying along his own IV attached to a metal pole on wheels. He stopped in front of Shuichi, up close he looked even worse. Large black circles ran under his eyes. He looked beaten, and tired. He looked like a stranger. 

“S-So I’m not sure how to say this exactly, to be honest I’ve never done this before.” Koichi started, his hands were shaking. If Shuichi had known him better he may have had a better idea of what Kokichi would say, but what Kokichi said next was a shock to him. 

“...I… I’m so sorry Sh- Saihara. I-I did some terrible things to y-you and the others in that g-game.” Kokichi was shaking even more and he didn’t even look up to look Shuichi in the eyes, seemingly finding the bed sheets more interesting. “E-Even if it was all a script w-what I did was inexcusable.”

Shuichi could barely hold back his own tears. 

“N-No! You don’t have to be sorry about anything. I… I should be the one to apologize. I treated you like you were the worst, but in truth Kokichi, without you we would have never gotten out of there. I am sorry. You never deserved that, especially from me.” Kokichi almost seemed to scoff at this idea. 

“Saihara, you don’t need to lie to me. I know you hate me, and…” Kokichi trailed off as Shuichi finally pulled him into a hug. He couldn't hold his tears back anymore, as he buried his face into Kokichi’s chest. His soft whimpers were muffled a bit as he pulled Kokichi closser. Shuichi never wanted to let go of this moment and held onto Kokichi like a lifeline. 

Kokichi did not react at first, he hadn’t expected this. He expected Shuichi screaming at him, reminding him of how much he was hated. Instead he got a former detective crying into his chest, gripping the front of his hospital gown as he mumbled out apology after apology. Kokichi finally broke and allowed himself a moment of indulgence as he slowly began to run his hand through Shuichi’s hair. 

. . .  
As the days went on Shuichi slowly began seeing everyone from the Killing Game was truly alive and, while most not fully coping with the events that had happened in the simulation, were doing better. Both victims and blackened forgave each other. Everyone was reunited, they were happy now. 

So why wasn't Kokichi?

It was the small thing Shuichi noticed about Kokichi change in demeanor. The prominent stutter he now had, nervous glances around, the way his hands seemed to not be able to stay still. Something about him had changed. 

This was not the same Kokichi he had met in the sick game they were in. 

Nearly all the others had either barely changed or kept most of their qualities. But not Kokichi. He had changed completely.

Now he was only a stranger. 

. . .

Nearly a week had passed. Nearly a week of Shuichi trying to talk to Kokichi, but it almost seemed like he was avoiding the other boy. Even though they were facing each other in their shared room he still would only ever say a simple greeting and make some excuse to run off, or would just not say anything. 

It killed Shuichi. 

He knew it was most likely his fault Kokichi was doing this. Shuichi was not sure what he did to warrant the boy he once - no, still - loved to just avoid him like this. 

What did he do wrong? 

Was it maybe because he had foiled Kokich’s nearly perfect plan to catch the mastermind?

Or did Kokichi just think Shuichi hated him that much. 

. . .

It was two weeks before Kokichi even asked to see Shuichi again. Shuichi was not even asked to his face. Rather the first thing he saw as he entered the room was a note placed beside his hat. 

He hadn’t expected much, but a request to meet on the roof was not even in that list of expectations. 

There was no signature, just a simple K. as if that was supposed to be telling as to who it was. He did in fact know many people with K in their name. Kaede, Kaito, Kirumi. It could have been any of them. 

What he did not expect to see was the former Ultimate Supreme Leader standing atop the roof. Kokichi had been avoiding him since the first day he woke up.

“H-Hey Saihara.” Kokichi spoke softly while smiling even though his eyes screamed sadness.

“Kokichi?” This couldn't be real, could it? Kokichi, the boy that had been avoiding Shuichi was the one to ask him to talk on the roof where privacy was at its most. He had wanted to talk. 

“S-So, I uh… I don’t really know how to do this.” Kokichi seemed nervous, more nervous than he had been lately. He clearly wanted to say something important. “So… uh. I want to try being f-friends again, I-I understand if you still h-hate me but you seem to want to still talk so… Sorry I-I’m not sure how this works. So could we try just like… starting over.” By the end of his small speech Kokichi seemed to find the floor much more interesting than looking at the face of someone he had loved since they met. Shuichi only needed to take five long strides before Kokichi was locked into a hug. 

“Okay,” Shuichi started to say. “We can go as slow as you want in rekindling what we once were.” He pulled out of the embrace to see Kokichi had soft tears falling down his face. He clearly wasn’t expecting this to be as easy as simply asking to be friends again. 

Did he think Shuichi had hated him that much?

“Now then, my name is Shuichi Saihara, feel free to call me anything you want.” Kokichi smiled softly, it was a rare smile that reached his eyes. 

“Nice to meet you Sai… Shuichi. The name’s Kokichi Ouma, I hope we can be good friends.” 

. . .

Not many nights had passed since that night on the roof and it had become a nightly routine for them to meet up and slowly become the friends they used to be. It was nice seeing Kokichi slowly come out of his shell. 

However tonight was different.

They were both settled down and, for the most part, sleeping. That is until Kokichi began to stir. 

It was a nightmare he lived and died through. The hydraulic press. 

He had tried to struggle out of it but something seemed to keep him there as the heavy metal slowly approached him. He tried to push it away from him as a river of tears escaped him. It was no use. 

In the end he died in the same way, fighting within himself with wanting to save Shuichi and the others or wanting to live for Shuichi, in the end it was always the same. 

He bolted upright in a bed, just like the last time. 

However, unlike last time he had a naturally light sleeper in the same room as him. As Shuichi began to stir awake Kokichi tried to stifle his sobs. Damn Shuichi’s inability to sleep like a normal person. 

“K-Kokichi?” Shit. “Kokichi, what’s wrong?” Shuichi please just leave me alone. I just need to breathe. Why can’t I breathe? Am I going to die?

“Hey, hey Kokichi look at me. Kokichi I need you to look at me.” He had to force his head upwards to look into a piercing yellow gaze. “Kokichi breathe with me, okay?” There they sat for a long while, Kokichi trying to calm his heart in the process of the rhythmic counting as he allowed himself to calm down.

“O-Okay I think I’ll be okay, t-thanks.” Kokichi whispered as he tried to push Shuichi away from him so he could be alone. 

“Do you want to talk about it at all?” Why did he have to care so much? Kokichi thought as he slowly began to nod. Yes.

“I… I’ve had this dream almost every night I-It’s about my… my d-death.” He practically whispered the last part. He started scratching at his arm, itching for the chill of a blade. But the bandages stopped him from hurting himself too much. 

“The hydraulic press.” Shuichi said so softly Kokichi almost didn’t hear him. “I can’t imagine how that must have been for you. I’m sorry.” 

“I-It’s not your fault.” Kokichi muttered, wiping at his eyes to rid them of the tears but more came instead. 

“Do… you want me to stay here tonight? I mean, here in your bed.” Shuichi was never very good at comforting others as he never had a need to in the past, but he knew that sometimes just being there for someone was good enough. That seemed to be the case for Kokichi as he immediately moved over to allow Shuichi to crawl into the small hospital bed. 

Shuichi quickly got settled again, but had not hugged Kokichi like he wanted to, as it seemed the smaller boy wanted to be alone. That is until Kokichi had placed himself into the others arms, wrapping his own around Shuichi's back. He, in turn, placed an arm around Kokichi’s waist as well as burying a hand in Kokichi’s soft hair. Kokichi was still crying a bit but seemed to calm down as he was pulled into the others chest, just as he had done when Shuichi had woken up. 

And there they stayed, frozen in eachothers arms. Any nightmares of deaths had gone as they were entrapped in the one they had first learned to love. 

. . .

This was the last night they would ever be together as friends atop the roof. Shuichi had already made up his mind. This would be the night. 

When he opened the door to the roof however he had been faced with was a heart wrenching scene. 

“Kokichi!” But he seemed to not hear as he began to lean forwards on the ledge. Shuichi was only able to grab his waist in time to pull him back over the edge. “What were you thinking! You could have gotten yourself killed! I almost lost you!”

“Why?” Kokichi had started off quietly before he began to scream. “Why did you save me?! You should have just let me go! So why!” Tears were pouring freely from both the two boys but more from Kokichi at being stopped. 

“Why? It’s because I fucking care about you! Why can’t you just accept the facts?! I wanted to get back what we had before because I care about you!” 

“But why? Why do you care about me? You were supposed to hate me! So why-”

“Because I love you!” Both of the two boys had stopped and simply stared at the other. Both were breathless at the confession, Shuichi stared wide eyed at what he had just said. Kokichi started to blush, tears still sticking to his cheeks. 

“I have loved you since I first met you, I just wish we could have met under better circumstances, then maybe we could have been together-” Shuici’s words were cut off as the smaller of the two grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss. He froze for a moment as the realization struck him. Kokichi was kissing him. Tears started streaming down his cheeks as he pushed into the kiss. 

By now they both were crying, both grabbing at each other trying to get as close as they could. Shuichi’s one hand was entangled in the other's hair, while his other found its way to Kokichis back, pulling the other onto his lap, as Kokichi moved his hands from Shuichi's collar to the back of his neck. 

Both of the two boys were out of breath when they finally pulled away as they placed their foreheads together. Both were staring at each other lovingly as they began to giggle, pulling each other back into an embrace as the tears came back. But this time it was happy tears. 

And for the first time in both of their lives since the killing game, Kokichi and Shuichi were happy.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone is confused, yes they keep their personalities from in the game Kokichi just feels really bad about what he did to Shuichi hence the whole way he treats him.


End file.
